Rules of Petanque

Petanque is a form of boules where the goal is to toss and roll steel or stone balls while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground. As any game goes, one should know where to play, select the boules to use, and which team goes first. In this sport, one can move the ball by throwing it, letting it fall on the terrain by bounce or roll, or letting it be hit by another ball in the game. Then the players start to throw the jack. One can only put the ball back in its original position if that original position was marked, but it doesn’t mean that one should always mark the locations of everything even though it was once a tradition. One can mark the jack if it is a windy day or in a crowded place.

The official FIPJP course of action in almost everything is: Just leave everything where it is and carry on.

Another rule is set when one encounters a small circle that could not fit the feet of the player. One could not just easily erase and redraw the circle if it is drawn by the opposing team. It can only be redrawn from, them so you should point it out and tell them straight. The minimum size of the circle is 35 cm, which is about 14 inches.

As for boundary lines, a string is used to identify the location of the boundary line, which is approved by the authorized official. However, it is not the boundary line so you cannot move or touch it.

In the case that a player has to leave in the middle of the game, one should replace the player who is leaving so that the affected team will not have a hard time playing. If there is no replacement for the player, the remaining ones cannot play the boules of the player who left. They must continue playing with their own boules.

There is also a Player Code of Behavior, which differs from one country to another based on the national federations. The FPUSA has strict rules about not playing with open-toed shoes in tournaments.

When the situation comes when a boule is “thrown out of turn”, just leave everything where it is and carry on with the game. And it is said that you should not leave unplayed boules on the ground. There is another rule stating that one should never play with another boule aside from his own because it is invalid. The basic rule for the placement of the jack in a circle is: “Jack is thrown from a circle drawn or placed around a point located in the previous..”

Lastly, there is a rule called Puddle Rule, wherein a boule is considered dead when it is seen floating in a puddle.